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Infection and Immunity, September 2001, p. 5538-5545, Vol. 69, No. 9
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.9.5538-5545.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Conserved DegP Protease in Gram-Positive Bacteria Is Essential
for Thermal and Oxidative Tolerance and Full Virulence in
Streptococcus pyogenes
C. Hal
Jones,1,*
Tove' C.
Bolken,1
Kevin F.
Jones,1
Gloria O.
Zeller,1,
and
Dennis E.
Hruby1,2
SIGA Research Laboratories, SIGA
Technologies, Inc., Corvallis, Oregon 97333,1
and Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University,
Corvallis, Oregon 973312
Received 12 April 2001/Returned for modification 1 June
2001/Accepted 18 June 2001
The DegP protease, a multifunctional chaperone and protease, has
been shown to be essential for virulence in gram-negative pathogens
such as Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium,
Brucella abortus, Yersinia enterocolitica, and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The function of DegP in
pathogenesis appears to be the degradation of damaged proteins that
accumulate as a result of the initial host response to infection, which
includes the release of reactive oxygen intermediates. Additionally,
the DegP protease plays a major role in monitoring and maintaining the
Escherichia coli periplasm and influences E. coli pilus biogenesis. We report here the identification of
highly homologous enzymes in Streptococcus pyogenes,
Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis. Moreover, the
phenotype of an insertionally inactivated degP allele in
S. pyogenes is similar to that reported for E. coli, with temperature sensitivity for growth and enhanced
sensitivity to reactive oxygen intermediates. Virulence studies in a
mouse model of streptococcal infection indicate that a functional DegP
protease is required for full virulence. These results suggest DegP as
an attractive broad-spectrum target for future anti-infective drug development.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: SIGA Research
Laboratories, 4575 SW Research Way, Suite 230, Corvallis, OR 97333. Phone: (541) 753-2000. Fax: (541) 753-9999. E-mail:
chjones{at}sgph.com.

Present address: College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University,
Corvallis, OR
97331.
Infection and Immunity, September 2001, p. 5538-5545, Vol. 69, No. 9
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.9.5538-5545.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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